> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.blotato.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts.md).

# API and MCP concepts

- [REST versus MCP](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/rest-vs-mcp.md): Choose REST or MCP and keep authentication, request nesting, polling, and capability differences separate.
- [Access and authentication](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/authentication.md): Distinguish paid access, API-key authentication, OAuth authorization, and client-specific connection failures.
- [Accounts and identifiers](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/accounts-and-identifiers.md): Select current account and destination IDs and distinguish submissions, posts, schedules, comments, and messages.
- [Async jobs and polling](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/async-jobs-and-polling.md): Track accepted jobs using operation-specific IDs, polling intervals, error fields, and terminal states.
- [Post lifecycle](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/post-lifecycle.md): Distinguish submission, scheduling, publication, and failure states and retain the matching identifiers.
- [Media uploads and conversion](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/media-uploads-and-conversion.md): Choose local upload or a public media URL, verify file metadata, and apply platform and conversion limits.
- [Scheduling](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/scheduling.md): Resolve UTC times and destination slots, verify the scheduled result, and edit or cancel the existing item.
- [Rate limits](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/rate-limits.md): Identify request-rate limits and retry behavior separately from plan allowances, credits, and platform restrictions.
- [Errors and retries](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/error-handling.md): Diagnose authentication, validation, media, and async failures without blind retries or duplicate writes.
- [REST workflow examples](https://help.blotato.com/api-and-mcp-concepts/workflows.md): REST source, visual, and publication sequences with operation IDs, polling intervals, and completion checks.


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